Sponsors

providing community support and financial generosity

Thank you to our sponsors for their generous support

The board and volunteers of Festa Italiana Seattle work hard all year round to help make the annual festival an event to remember, but we owe much of our success to the generous and continuous support provided by our corporate, organizational and individual sponsors.

Festál 2018: Now in its 21st year, Festál is a coalition of twenty-two ethnic and cultural festivals held throughout the year at Seattle Center. See the annual calendar and learn more about Festál’s Impact on the community.

Seattle Center: The Northwest region’s premier destination for arts, entertainment, sports and leisure activities. Just last year, Seattle Center celebrated its 50th Anniversary and that of the 1962 World’s Fair.

Bolla Wines of Italy: For 19 years straight, Bolla was the official Wine Sponsor of Festa Italiana and the Italian Festival. After a hiatus of a few years, they are back and we are thrilled to have them. We will be pouring two Bolla wines in our Wine & Beer Gardens: a 2011 Bolla Chianti, and 2013 Bolla Pinot Grigio from the “Tre Venezie” regions of Italy. We will also feature a new product for us, Bolla Prosecco by the bottle or by the glass.

Galbani – Italy’s #1 Cheese: The newest addition to our family of supporters, Galbani will be the banner sponsor of the Galbani “Great Italian Chefs” Cooking Stage and underwrite the appearance of TV Chef Marco Sciortino from Buffalo, New York.

Isernio’s Sausage: The not-so-secret ingredient in the famous Italian Sausage Sandwiches sold at the Italian Festival for 26 years, and a co-presenter of the “Great Italian Chefs” Cooking Stage. Isernio’s has expanded dramatically the last few years and is now available nationwide. Take a look at their entire product line and view their cooking demos!

Borracchini’s Bakery: The Italian Community’s and Seattle’s favorite supplier of cakes for all occasions baked at their famous location on Rainier Ave. S. They have been with Festa ever since 1988! Peruse the long list of mouth-watering selections on their website www.nowcake.com.

Merlino Foods: Last year we were proud to announce the signing of longtime icon in Seattle’s Italian culinary history, Merlino Foods. They’ll be back this year to co-present the “Great Italian Chefs” Cooking Stage.

Maggiano’s Little Italy: Festa Italiana is proud to welcome this newest member of our sponsorship family. Maggiano’s great food will be on sale at the Italian Festival and their chef Andrew Wilson will be doing a cooking demo as well.

Moretti Beer: Title Sponsor of the Moretti Mainstage where you can watch the entertainment and enjoy a cold, crisp Italian lager or a red Italian ale from the Wine and Beer Garden. Salute! Moretti!

Big John’s PFI: Festa welcomes back old friends Big John Croce and Pacific Food Importers, both as a sponsor and the official supplier of pasta, olive oil and spaghetti sauce to the Italian Festival. You can find their products at their retail outlet at: 1001 Sixth Ave S., or at your favorite grocery store.

Italy4real.com: Longtime sponsor of the Italian Festival and underwriter of our popular raffle, Italy4real has been helping travelers since 1995. They are the foremost experts on guided tours, independent tours, villa rentals and agriturismo in Italy. Stop by their booth in the Fisher Pavilion or visit them online.

4Culture: King County cultural service organization that funds the arts. the Italian Festival is supported in part by a grant from 4Culture.

Arts & Cultural Affairs: Officially known as the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, this sponsor gave Festa a grant to cover a portion of “Opera for Kids.”

Oh Boy! Oberto:Oberto is the sponsor of one of Festa’s most popular events, the Oberto Bocce Tournament. Oberto’s philosophy for decades has been “simple is better: fewer ingredients allow the flavor of the meat to shine through.”

Costantino Lazzaretti Endowment: This family-sponsored fund has been created to perpetuate the memory of Costantino “Tino” Lazzaretti, a board member and avid supporter of Festa Italiana. The Kid’s Courtyard has been renamed “Tino’s Cortile” in his honor.

Washington Asset Management: Now the official banner sponsor of the “Classic Italian Vehicles Show” for the third year in a row. Invest and save to buy that Lamborghini! Learn more about them at their website.

Bicerin: The discovery of the year! A chocolate liqueur from Northern Italy that is addictive, either in coffee or straight. Bicerin is also the supplier of Limoncello di Torino, both available in the Wine Gardens.

The Mediterranean Inn: Loaded with European charm and only two blocks away from Festa, the Mediterranean Inn is the official Hotel Sponsor of Festa Italiana and the “home away from home” of our entertainers and Celebrity Chefs.

Torani Syrups: Makers of Italian flavored syrups and more… joined us with San Pellegrino Sparkling Water as partners in our Italian Soda booth many years ago. Download recipes and learn more about this fascinating Italian-American enterprise by checking out their website.

West Coast Italian Radio Show: Partners of Festa Italiana in promoting the joy of “All Things Italian” in the Pacific NW. Listen to them live every Monday at 3 PM on 1150-AM KKNW. Sponsored in part by the La Stella Foundation.

San Pellegrino: Proudly returns to Festa each year as our official sponsor of Italian sparkling mineral water. You can buy San Pellegrino at the Italian Festival either in the cute little 8 oz. green bottles or in our delicious Italian Sodas. We’ll also feature their non-sparkling Italian mineral water Acqua Panna. Visit their website to learn more about these wonderful products.

Redfin: is proud to be a supporter of Festa Italiana. They are a customer-first real estate brokerage headquartered in Seattle that represents people buying and selling homes. Founded and run by technologists, Redfin has a team of experienced, full-service real estate agents who are advocates, not salespeople, earning customer-satisfaction bonuses, not commissions.

Festa Italiana Office

Thanks to our Amazing Patrons, Generous Sponsors and Dedicated Volunteers, the 31st Annual Italian Festival was a great success!

We appreciate your involvement and look forward to seeing you next year, September 27 – 29, 2019.

Please take a look around the website to see what went on during 2018 and mark your calendar for Festa 2019.

Galbani’s Celebrity “Chef Marco” Mark Sciortino

Mark Sciortino “Chef Marco”, owner of Marco’s Italian Restaurant in Buffalo, NY, has been
creating and serving traditional, family-favorite, Italian dishes for over 30 years. He also owns
numerous Marco’s Italian Delis across Western New York, tagged as “Home of the Original
SANGWICH!” which is a term used by many Italian communities in place of “sandwich”.

Lactalis American Group, Inc., headquartered in Buffalo, NY, is a subsidiary of Parmalat S.p.A.,
an Italian public entity majority-owned by France-based Groupe Lactalis – the world’s largest
producer of premium cheese. They hired Chef Marco in 2008 to be their spokesman for
Sorrento® Cheese. He demonstrated creative and fun cooking tips using their products for three
national TV shows. Due to his immense success as a TV personality, Chef Marco continues to
make appearances and performs cooking demos from coast to coast for the cheese company’s
sponsored Italian festivals under their new name Galbani® Cheese. Along with the festival
cooking demos, Marco has appeared on numerous morning shows in Los Angeles, South
Florida, and New York.

Currently, Chef Marco is hosting his ninth season of “Come Dine with Me WNY!” a local cooking
show in Galbani’s U.S. Corporate Headquarters, Buffalo, NY. He was also a featured chef on
“Winging it Buffalo Style,” another local morning show.